Farrah N. Khan

Farrah N. Khan (born ) is an American politician who served as the 23rd mayor of Irvine, California from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Khan first served Irvine as a member of City Council before being elected mayor in 2020.

In July 2023, Khan announced that she would run for the third district seat of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Early life and education Khan was born in Lahore, Pakistan. She immigrated to the United States when she was three years old.

Irvine City Council Khan first ran for Irvine City Council unsuccessfully in 2016.

Mayor of Irvine Khan ran for mayor during the 2020 election. She won about 47% of the vote, unseating mayor pro tem Christina Shea, a Republican, who received 36% of the vote. Khan stated that she was motivated to run for mayor after Shea made controversial criticisms of Black Lives Matter protestors, remarks that Khan felt were "not reflective of our community".

Controversies Association with a denier of the Armenian genocide In March 2022, a video surfaced of a 2020 meeting between Khan and Ergun Kirlikovali, a former President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations. In the video, Kirlikovali appears to make a joke that a box of Turkish delights could be eaten on Armenians' occasions, which would make them disappear. Khan appears to joke along, saying she would make sure to eat the Turkish delights in front of them. Kirlikovali is a known Armenian genocide denier. Some claimed that the joke was about making Armenians disappear whereas Khan has maintained that that was not the case.

This video was met with outrage and criticism, especially by members of the Armenian community. The group ANCA Western Region criticized Khan for associating with a genocide denier and pointed out that Khan appointed Kirlikovali to her mayoral advisory committee in 2021.

Electoral history

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024